Al??Controlled release fertliizer for new landscape?

kayseeJune 3, 2012

Hi Al, I just installed a new landscape with spring bouquet viburniums,spirea,pine,crape myrtles and various other things. What do you think is the best choice in CRF's?...I know this is not in the right location! I did start them all in containers with dyna-gro myself!!!Thank you

Not the Al you are looking for, but let me give you my opinion as I have strong feelings regarding your subject. Growing in the soil of your garden is so much different from containers, the strategy should also be different. Your garden soil is a food web interdependent on all the living organisms. A gardeners goal should be to help keep the soil food web in balance and supporting itself. For this reason, in my garden soil, I do not use any synthetic fertilizer, which has the effect of disrupting the soil food web. Al

I second Al's (calistoga) opinion. I use bio tone starter plus on my permenant landscape transplant with good results. I then usually give them occasional feelings with chickity doo doo, or side dressings of compost or manure etc. I also like to make compost tea and give the soil a drench every now and then or do a foliar spray with it.

I always try to take the organic road when I can. I soaked each container plant in a 5 gallon bucket with Mycoapply Soluble Maxx until it stopped bubbling. I mixed a very light dose of compost in planting hole 1/2 way full. I use the rest of the bucket to fill the the hole. I top dress the plant with a mixture of kelp and homemade earthworm castings. So I do have the basics covered. I find Al's rec. fascinating also.

kaysee the recommendation these days, is to avoid creating any boundaries in your planting holes. If you garden soil needs amending it is better to amend the whole site. If that is not possible, do at least a 4x4 foot area for each planting. Your kelp and castings will not be immediately available to the plant and it is a good thing. Your transplants will need time to grow into the garden soil, and I prefer to wait at least a month before adding even organic fertilizer, being content to just mulch three or four inches of a vegetative mulch to keep the soil cool, help retain moisture, prevent weed growth, and support new worm growth. Calistoga "Al"